According to a new report from the Center for Immigration Studies, the total foreign-born population has grown by 6.4 million since President Joe Biden took office—larger than the population of 33 states.
CIS’ Director of Research Steven Camarota and Demographer Karen Zeigler analyzed data from the U.S. Census Bureau—which does not differentiate between legal immigrants and illegal aliens—and found that a new record high of 51.4 million foreign-born individuals was recorded in February. This is 15.5 percent of the U.S. population, surpassing all previous records.
“At 172,000 a month, the average increase in the foreign-born under President Biden is four times the 42,000 average under Trump before Covid-19 hit, and double the 68,000 average under Obama,” highlighted Camarota and Zeigler in the report.
CIS is estimating that more than half of the 6.4 million individuals entering the U.S. since Biden’s inauguration are illegal aliens.
Camarota and Zeigler addressed the impact of increased workers in the labor market.
“There is no question that immigrant workers, legal or illegal, make the U.S. economy billions of dollars larger than it would be otherwise,” they explained. “More workers in the country means more economic activity.”
However, “Bigger is not necessarily better.”
“When you count immigrants, the total U.S. economy is clearly larger, while per-person GDP is clearly lower,” explained Camarota and Zeigler. “Pointing to the larger economy that immigration creates, as President Biden did when he stated immigrants are ‘the reason our economy is growing,’ and implying this is a clear benefit to U.S.-born Americans is simply wrong.”
They warned that the emphasis on the labor market disregards the strain on healthcare, education, and infrastructure.
However, Camarota and Zeigler explained, “Perhaps the most fundamental question these numbers raise is whether America can successfully incorporate and assimilate this many people.”
“Adding so many people to the country so fast may please employers and immigration advocacy groups, but any serious discussion of immigration policy has to grapple with these numbers and the implications they have for American society as a whole,” they added.
CIS is projecting that at the current levels, the foreign-born population will reach 60 million by the end of 2028 if Biden wins a second term in office.
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